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Piqua leaders say positive outlook paying off

Piqua leaders say positive outlook paying off

To help spread the word, the Positively Promoting Piqua committee held a community update meeting March 13 at one of the city’s success stories – the fourth floor ballroom of the renovated Fort Piqua Hotel downtown.

The nonprofit PPP was formed two and one-half years ago by residents to fight - successfully - a recall of four of five city commissioners, and then promote and support positive efforts to help the city improve and grow.

Joining with the organization to celebrate achievements were the city of Piqua and the Piqua City Schools.

Business leader Dan French of French Oil Mill Machinery Co. said Positively Promoting Piqua is a group “united to help make Piqua the best it can possibly be.”

A citizens committee helps the organization monitor the community pulse by serving as its “eyes and ears” and helping identify positive projects. For example, the committee helped last year with building the Mote Park Shelter.

French assured business leaders and residents who responded to a public invite for the Piqua Progress Report 2013 that a lot is getting done behind the scenes.

City Manager Gary Huff and Schools Superintendent Rick Hanes helped French and Dan Ramer, also of PPP, provide an update on progress.

Huff, who joined the city staff last year, said he believes “real success comes by more citizen involvement.”

He has worked with city staff to organize a number of projects/programs to open the door to citizen involvement. Among them so far are the Citizens Government Academy offering residents a first-hand look at how the city runs and a volunteer park ranger program scheduled to get under way this year.

Projects coming up will help boost Piqua even more, Huff said. He pointed to a $1.7 million high-speed fiber project and plans for the city’s first dog park, a mention that brought some of the event’s loudest applause.

Hanes talked about the schools and “significant progress” occurring in the district. “Our students are doing amazing things,’ he said.

The community’s attention soon will be on more district progress with the upcoming construction of two new elementary schools and an intermediate building.

For more information on Positively Promoting Piqua visit www.positivepiqua.org.